Health Library

How Much Do You Know About Pet Diseases?

Dogs and cats and birds and hamsters. Snakes and guinea pigs and turtles. The family pet can be a source of joy and companionship, no matter what kind of animal it is. Sometimes, however, your favorite animal can be a source of illness. Learn more about pets and disease by taking this multiple-choice quiz.

1. What is the term used to describe diseases that humans can catch from animals?

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Zoonoses are diseases of animals with backbones that can be transmitted to people. There are many zoonoses, and many different animals can carry a wide variety of diseases. Hypochondriasis is a mental condition that results in imagined diseases rather than actual illness. Toxicosis is an illness or toxic condition caused by chemicals or drugs. Narcosis is a sleepy or comatose state caused by an overdose of a narcotic such as heroin, morphine, or codeine. Halitosis means bad breath.

A. HypochondriasisB. ZoonosisC. ToxicosisD. NarcosisE. Halitosis

2. From which common pet are you most likely to catch a disease?

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Cats can carry more than 60 diseases that can be transmitted to humans, including cat-scratch diseases, toxocariasis, and ringworm. Dogs carry many fewer. Birds can carry diseases such as psittacosis, which can cause pneumonia. In the United States, however, it is extremely rare for pet birds to be infected with disease that humans can catch. Tropical and saltwater fish carry very few diseases that humans can catch.

A. CatsB. DogsC. Birds (such as parrot or parakeet)D. Fish

3. A pregnant woman with a pet house cat needs to be extremely careful about exposure to the litter box to avoid catching which disease?

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Although toxoplasmosis is normally a benign disease in adults with a normally functioning immune system, it can cause devastating disease in the fetus. Infants born with congenital toxoplasmosis can develop serious problems, including mental disability and blindness. Some infected newborns will have brain damage at birth or have serious eye damage.

A. RingwormB. RabiesC. ToxoplasmosisD. Distemper

5. When your child cuddles the family cat or dog, and the pet has a spot on its skin, what infection is your child most likely to get?

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Despite its name, ringworm is not caused by a parasite. It is a fungal infection that causes irritation to the scalp or skin, making skin reddened or scaling. On the scalp, it can cause a bald patch of scaly skin. On the skin, it usually appears as a ring-shaped rash. This type of ringworm (passed on from animals) makes up only a small percentage of human ringworm cases. The rest are caused by a fungus that's passed from one child to another child through contaminated combs, brushes, hats, hair accessories, pillows, and bath towels. For either type of ringworm, the treatment is a skin cream or oral medication that kills the fungus.

A. TapewormB. PinwormC. RoundwormD. Ringworm

6. In the last few years, rabies has been almost nonexistent in which animal group?

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Dogs are legally required to be vaccinated against rabies, and most dog owners are compliant. Cats, however, usually aren't vaccinated. Wild animals seldom get vaccinated. Recently, it has become possible to vaccinate coyotes with food laced with the vaccine. This is being done in Texas to reduce the incidence of rabies among coyotes.

A. CoyotesB. SkunksC. RaccoonsD. DogsE. CatsF. Bats

7. Animals sold for pets can harbor salmonella, a bacterium that causes serious infection, with diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Which animals are most likely to carry salmonella?

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Poultry and turtles frequently harbor salmonella. Dogs and cats are much less likely to carry salmonella, although it is possible.

Children get head lice from other children, not from animals. Animals do carry animal lice and mites, some of which can temporarily infect humans, but head lice are specific to humans. Effective treatment shampoos and egg removers are available over the counter and should be used exactly as directed.

A. CatsB. DogsC. Pet birdsD. None of the above

9. "Newly emerging" diseases that affect humans include Ebola, Rift Valley fever, West Nile encephalitis, and hantavirus. All of these are carried either by an animal or by an insect that has picked up a bacteria or virus from an animal. In the United States, which animal most commonly carries hantavirus?

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Hantavirus was first discovered in the desert Southwest, when it caused unexplained deaths from pulmonary failure. The CDC determined that mice in the area carried a virus called hantavirus. The virus is present in their urine, droppings, and saliva, which dries and mixes with dust. The virus can become airborne when a homeowner does "spring cleaning," disturbing the dust containing the virus. The dust and virus are inhaled, causing a severe type of pneumonia and lung failure.

A. CatsB. DogsC. MiceD. SquirrelsE. Raccoons

10. Running through the grass in bare feet on a warm day can be fun, but unlucky if you happen to step in dog, cat, or other droppings from an animal infected with dog or cat hookworm. This can lead to what condition?

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This condition is caused by intestinal hookworms shed by dogs and cats in their feces. The larvae of these worms burrow into the skin and produce a wandering trail just beneath the skin. Most cases of hookworm caused by dogs or cats are found in the Southeastern United States, along the Gulf Coast. According to the CDC, children who play in contaminated soil are at risk for developing hookworm, as are electricians, plumbers, and others who must crawl beneath raised buildings where the hookworm larvae may be found.